(10 votes, average: 3.40 / 5)
Loading...Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa was a 3D sci-fi MMORPG with third-person shooter elements. The game required a monthly subscription and was set in a dystopian universe where humanity had to make its last stand against a race of aliens called the Bane.
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Publisher: NCSOFT Type: MMORPG Release Date: November 2, 2007 Closure Date: February 28, 2009 Pros: +Mix of RPG and Shooter gameplay. +Dynamic events. +Hybrid race unlocks. +Unique sci-fi settings. Cons: -Riddled with bugs and connection issues at launch. -Limited content available at release. -Overly ambitious feature list. |
Tabula Rasa Shut Down on February 28, 2009
Tabula Rasa Overview
Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa was a short-lived subscription MMORPG. While the game behaved much like a traditional MMORPG with dice rolls and locked targeting, some shooter elements were included. Tabula Rasa had many interesting features for its time including dynamic events where players on the same map could work together to capture NPC controlled bases. Many of the game's missions involved making ethical decisions and instanced regions were used to enhance this storytelling effect.
Tabula Rasa Key Features:
- RPG Shooter – a mixed combat system that takes weapon type, ammo type, stance, terrain cover, and movement rate into account when calculating damage.
- Storytelling Missions – many missions require players to make ethical decisions while others teleport players to private instances for personalized storytelling.
- Dynamic Battlefields – Base Control points are scattered across the game world which must be captured and protected from Bane alien forces.
- War Games – three different PvP modes: Duels (Wargame Duels), clan wars (Wargame Feuds), and battlegrounds (Wargame Maps).
- Multi-Tiered Character Classes – start as a recruit and advance up four branches in the class tree. Racial options included: Human, Thrax, Forean, and Brann with the ability to create hybrids.
Similar Games – Defiance, FireFall, Global Agenda, Star Trek Online, and Anarchy Online.
Tabula Rasa Screenshots
Tabula Rasa Featured Video
Tabula Rasa Videos
Tabula Rasa Links
Tabula Rasa Wikipedia Entry
Tabula Rasa Wikia [Database/Guidees]
Tabula Rasa Metacritic Page
Tabula Rasa NCSoft Page
Tabula Rasa Music & Soundtrack
Tabula Rasa Additional Information
Developer: Destination Games
Publisher: NCSoft
Game Engine: Custom, in-house engine.
Lead Designer: Richard Garriott
Closed Beta Date: May 2, 2007 - October 26, 2007
Release Date: November 2, 2007
Closure Date: February 28, 2009
Development History / Background:
Development on Tabula Rasa originally started in May 2001 but went through a major revamp within two years. Many members of the team and the majority of the code was replaced and a new version of the game was revealed at E3 2005. The development of Tabula Rasa was lead by Richard Garriott who founded Origin Systems and the Ultima series. Despite the success of Ultima Online and other MMORPGs in the US, Richard Garriott saw that Asia was a much larger market with games like Lineage commanding a tenfold following compared to anything released in the West.
The collaboration between NCSOFT and Lord British seemed like a good fit, but the parties had a massive falling out which resulted in a lawsuit costing NCSoft $24 million for the wrongful termination of Richard Garriott. Tabula Rasa was likely a victim of the internal politics at NCSoft and only lasted a little over a year before closing down.
Tabula Rasa Private Servers
There is currently one known Private Server / Emulation project available for Tabula Rasa and it is called Infinite Rasa. This is still a work in progress and most content is missing. Download and install the software at your own risk.
Infinite Rasa Installation Guide [Reddit Link]
